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Eventually, I headed back out to the front, again staying in the shadows so as not to take away from John. He was good at his job, and the customers were responding to him. He took a couple of plates back to the kitchen, which wasn’t a good sign, but it was the first day.
Later, I headed back to the office, where I took care of a little of my own business. I also called Ash, wondering if he and Beth were coming down at all.
“Morgan asked us not to on the first day,” Ash told me. “I guess she wants to get her feet wet first.”
“Is it great?” I heard Beth ask in the background.
“Beth wants to know how it’s going,” Ash asked.
“So far, so good.”
“Thanks for helping her, man. She could really use a little good in her life.”
I could be good to her, and I wasn’t just talking about in bed. I could solve her financial problems. Help with her mom’s medical care. Take her places. Fuck, I was a mess.
“I should probably check on them.” I hung up the phone, and went back out to the dining area. It was packed, and there was a lot of activity.
I checked in with John. “Things are hopping. How’s it going?”
“We’re keeping up,” he said, but there was something in his voice that had me thinking he wasn’t sure.
“You sure? You don’t sound it.”
He shrugged. “I’m a little worried about Morgan. She’s inexperienced, and is getting flustered. Some of the orders aren’t coming out right, or out of order. I comped table twenty-three as its order seemed to have gotten lost.”
That wasn’t good.
“A few of the staff have told me they have some concerns about her. I’ve told them it’s the first day. She’ll get the hang of it.”
“It’s your job to make her look good, John,” I told him.
“I’m doing my best.”
I wanted to tell him that he wasn’t hired to do his best. He was hired to be successful. Instead I went back to the kitchen. I watched Morgan and didn’t see anything that would concern John or the staff. On occasion she looked a little uncertain, but with the kitchen staff she was decisive and clear. They responded appropriately to her when she called out the orders or she asked about a waiting order.
The food presentation was great, and it smelled delicious. As far as I could tell, she was doing great, especially for someone who was brand new at it.
“Mr. Raven?” one of the waitresses came up to me. “There’s a woman asking for you.”
“Me?” I don’t know why I looked to Morgan. Or that she looked at me. As far as I could tell, she and I weren’t a thing, so why would a woman asking for me be an issue?
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay.” I headed out of the kitchen and to the dining area. I was surprised to see my father’s assistant, Alex, sitting alone at the end of the bar. “Alex? Is everything okay with my father?”
“Hi Kade. Yes. I’m not here about him.”
I sat on the stool next to her, and ordered another drink. “What’s up?”
“I’m having issues with Ben.”
Inwardly, I groaned. That guy was a thorn in my side. “Listen, if he’s harassing you, I’ll make it clear to him that he has to behave.”
She waved a hand. “I don’t need you to fight my battles. I can handle him.”
I smiled. She’d handled the four Raven boys and my father pretty well the last few years. “So, what do you need?”
“I’m afraid that something bad is going to happen.”
Frowning, I asked, “What do you mean?” Of course, there were all sorts of bad things that could happen, all of them related to his drinking. He could fall down the stairs and break his neck. Step out into traffic and get hit by a bus. He could drown in his own vomit. Sometimes, I wondered how he made it to work everyday with the way booze had taken over his life.
“My father was an alcoholic, and I know from experience; when they spiral downward they can become a danger to themselves.”
“I know Ash and Beth are trying to help him, but you can’t force these things, Alex.”
“I know. But I had to warn someone, and I didn’t want to burden Ash and Beth or your other brothers. They’re too wrapped up in their lives.”
I scoffed inwardly. She was here because I had no life.
“I was hoping you could find a way to get him into rehab before he hurts himself.”
“I can’t force him,” I said. “I can try to talk to him, but if Beth can’t convince him, I don’t think I’ll be able to. I’m pretty sure he likes me the least.”
She looked at me like she usually did; like I was a disappointment. “I just wanted someone to know.” She opened her purse to pay for her drink.
